Memory Lane ~ The 2012 Gordon Cup

Remember this past summer’s Gordon Cup? Boy – what a roller coaster ride that day was!!!

From Coach Jaymie:
After almost a month and a half worth of preparation, the Tigers were ready to pounce! Timber Lake faced-off against Camp Wayne in game one of the 2012 Gordon Cup Roller Hockey Tournament. Assistant Captain Mark Fischer opened the scoring for the Tigers with a rebound goal. A Zach Soss slapshot rang off the post. The Tigers’ defense did the rest, stymieing the Wayne offense. Matt Tisch turned aside every shot he faced, while Cole Friedfertig added a goal.

Game two featured a match up with Camp Greylock. TLC and Greylock both entered the game tied with 1-0 records. The winner would be guaranteed a Semi-Final berth. Greylock opened the scoring with a quick strike from in front to put TLC down 1-0. Soss responded to tie the game a short time later with his first score of the game. Greylock would go up again with a blast from the point early in the second. Timber Lake showed their resilience, coming back again to tie the game on Fischer’s second of the day. As Soss moved the puck up the rink, Fischer broke to the net and deflected Soss’ shot into the net. A bomb by Soss would propel the Tigers to the semi finals with a 3-2 win and gave the Tigers a chance at back-to-back Gordon Cup Championships!

After a redraw, TLC faced a rematch with Greylock for a second consecutive trip to the finals. The game was an absolute dogfight between the two teams. A fierce, sportsmanlike battle had both teams dreaming of the opportunity to hoist up the Gordon Cup

TLC opened the scoring on a beautiful individual effort by Ethan Scher. He pump faked from the point and let a twisted wrister go and found the back of the net to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. TLC would add to the lead with a goal from Soss to stretch the lead to two. TLC made a mistake by letting their guard down and allowing Greylock to tie the game at 2 late in the second. After a scoreless third, the game went to overtime. With the entire camp sitting on pins and needles. Soss caused a Vesuvius-like eruption, firing a backhander into the top right corner to give Timber Lake a berth in the 2012 final.

The finals between TLC and Lokanda were set and this game will go down as another legendary chapter in the Gordon Cup history books. The Timber Dome was deafening as the Tigers took to the rink. The crowd was quieted quickly as Lokanda took a stunning 2-0 lead early in the first. Timber Lake would not go down without a fight. Heart and determination were exemplified by first year player Chase ‘Squirtle’ Friedfertig as he put the Tigers on the board with a quick wrister through the five hole. This marked his first career Gordon Cup goal from the junior. Soss would provide more of his offensive brilliance, tying the game at two shortly after. Lokanda would take the lead again going up 3-2 to end the second period. Timber Lake would once again claw its way back to tie the game at 3 on yet another tally from Soss, his sixth of the day.

In a dramatic turn of events, Timber Lake was hit with a penalty with only one and a half minutes to go in the third. Lokanda took advantage of their powerplay and scored what proved to be the game winner. Timber Lake could not find the equalizer and we ultimately lost the game 4-3, creating a somber silence in the Catskills.

Even with the loss, the fans of TLC responded with chants and cheering in support of their team. This is what we are about at Timber Lake. We give 100% and we support each other in everything that we do. We may have lost that game this past summer, but our Tigers gave everything they had, represented our camp with pride, sportsmanship, and heart, and we walked away with our heads held high knowing that the Tigers will rise yet again…